Add a draw mask to a stereoscopic 360º clip in Final Cut Pro X

If one of the views of a stereoscopic clip has a flaw in it such as a smudge on the lens, you can mask the flaw using the Draw Mask effect in Final Cut Pro.

To mask a flaw in one of the views of a stereoscopic clip, add a draw mask around the corresponding area in the other, unaffected view. To successfully mask a flaw with this technique, one of the views must not have the flaw in that same area.

Select your clip in the browser or timeline, choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector, then click . The dimensions of the clip appear at the top of the Info inspector. Divide the Y dimension by two and note the result. For example, if a clip's dimensions are 4096 x 2048, half the Y dimension is 1024.

Hold Option, then drag the clip that contains the flaw upwards in the timeline. The duplicated clip should be directly above the original clip.

Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Effects (or press Command–5).

In the left column of the Effects browser, click the Masks category, then drag the Draw Mask effect to the duplicated clip.

In the viewer, locate the area in the view without out the flaw, then add control points around that area. For example, if the flaw is in the top view (the left eye), add control points around the same area in the bottom view (the right eye).

To complete the initial mask shape, click the original control point.

To show the Video inspector, choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command–5), then click .

In the Draw Mask section of the Video inspector, click next to Transforms.

In the Transforms section, make the following adjustment to the Position Y parameter

If you're fixing a flaw in the top view (the left eye), enter negative the value you noted in step 2. For example, for a 4096 x 2048 clip, you would enter "–1024" the Position Y field.

If you're fixing a flaw in the bottom view (the right eye), enter positive the value you noted in step 2. For example, for a 4096 x 2048 clip, you would enter "1024" the Position Y field.

To preview the mask, select the original clip in the timeline, then press V on your keyboard to disable the clip. The Draw Mask appears in the viewer. Press V again to reenable the clip.

Don't adjust the parameters in the Transform section of the Video inspector. Doing so will move the position of the mask.